cluster headaches - anyone know anything about them?

[dolally]

just wondering...a friend has just had this diagnosed.

She gets them every spring but not the rest of the year. has vomiting and diahorrea(sp?)....neurologist diagnosed cluster headaches and says the best treatment is pure oxygen.

DH was diagnosed with these recently - truly appalling headaches which tend to happen daily at around same time. They happen in epidodes of 4-8 weeks. First GP he saw said it was a virus but second opinion realised that it wasn't. Excellent website at www.clusterheadaches.com/ which includes a checklist of questions to help establish if what you have is indeed a cluster headache. If your friend goes through the list and doesn't seem to have the right diagnosis suggest they go back to doctor and insist on further investigation.

DH was prescribed a pill called Sumatriptan which, if taken at the first hint of a cluster headache helps enormously.

My brother was diagnosed with this about 5 years ago. He uses 'the white wine cure' which doesn't stop them, but if he only drinks white wine then they are less bad and less frequent. I'm not sure that I'm recommending it.

I'll tell him about Sumatriptan, but he's a stubborn bugger.